Mark Meltzer Writings: Days 145-150
Journal, "Stop Over in Tangiers" STOPOVER IN TANGIERSTangier, Morocco, on Wikipedia The Nellie Bly limped into port w/Capt. Ferrence nowhere to be found. The 2nd mate began arranging repairs. Got him to promise that the ship would not leave port w/o me. Petit taxi into the city. Wound my way through the maze of the Medina,Medina quarter, on Wikipedia dodging eager guides & vendors. Locals pointed me to Seward, well known in the quarter as a man of regular habits. His "grey" reputation suits him... His clothes drained of color, his sallow, leathery face impassive as he sipped mint tea and suckled on shebakia.Chebakia, Moroccan sesame cookies, on About.com Wanted nothing to do with me - until a few well-dropped hints convinced him I knew about the "Pawns" and their secret handshakes. (And,yes! there are secret handshakes.) Suspicious of listeners, he took me to his rooms. Spare, furnished mainly in books. We talked for hours - him sounding me out, me prying info in dribs & drabs. Wondered how a man like this & a man like Lutwidge could find common ground. "Most minds are dull as dishwater," sneered Seward. "Lutwidge was, at least, never boring." Seward claims he had been poking into 1946-47 vanishing cases as they related to the disappearance of his half-sister & best friend.(A touchy subject: Seward is not the cold cynic he likes to play. When I mentioned my daughter's disappearance he was earnest & concerned.) Lutwidge contacted him - and for a time, Seward was a major "Player" in the organization -Coordinating research efforts into the Vanishing. Over time, Lutwidge's obsession & paranoia mounted and Seward dis- tanced himself. The last straw were the plots O.O.Lutwidge developed with "Red Pawn" -- laying trails of false evidence to confuse Celeste Roget & others. Seward cut himself off from most of the organization ~1958 (before OOL's disappearance). Rec'd, but ignored contacts in 1960 after OOL was presumed dead. A productive afternoon. Seward agreed to provide contact & introductions to European "Pawns." Journal, "Meeting the Yellow Pawn (Cadiz)" MEETING THE YELLOW PAWN (CADIZ)Cadiz, Spain, on Wikipedia Tension among the crew continues to make the most routine activities high drama. Explosive feud between Captain & 1st Mate as we approach port of Cadiz (Spain) this A.M. Captain furious he wasn't woken earlier and fretting about inspection of cargo. While crew unloaded stores of coffee beans obtained in D.R.,I explore the dock. A young flower girl approached with an armful of yellow car- nations. I waved her off, but she insistently handed me one with a tag - 'Castillo de Santa Catalina,Saint Catalina's Castle, SpainCastles.es' it read. I found my way to the battered old fortress near the end of Caleta Beach.La Caleta Beach, Cadiz Spain on Wikipedia And I saw her - the 'Yellow Pawn' on the walkway - bright as the sun in a yellow dress that fit her like wrapping paper. Squat, almost perfectly round, she had an infec- tious smile. "You are a friend of the Grey Pawn," she said in that lilting accent. Then she handed me a folder - a good-will gesture. Accumulated files on the vanishing, including several individuals I had not previously noted. My reputation preceded me. "For all these years, we thought the trail was cold," She said. The Grey Pawn had told her I might finally be able to crack the puzzles Lutwidge left behind. But to do that, I explained, I would need to find the Red Pawn. She scowled at that - no answer. I made myself even less popular when I asked for leads on Celeste Roget. She said, "You act on your own, Senor Meltzer, we must not forget that. Your agenda is not our own. "She hinted that she would have to consult with the other "pawns". "We know about your daughter," she said. "We wish you all the luck in finding her." Then she turned her back to me. I had been dismissed. References See also *Mark Meltzer *There's Something in the Sea Category:Mark Meltzer Writings Category:Pages with written transcripts